New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-07
NAVAL REORGANIZATION.
THE BILL TO CONSOLIDATE BUREAUS.

HE BILL III CbNSOLlDAlE DOhEAOCs
mr. BoUTELLE ATTACKS THE SCHEME IN THE
HoUsE-sETTING THE LINE ABOVE THE STAFF.
fBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIEUNBl
WASHINGTON, Jan. &. Most of the day in the
House was devoted to the consideration of the bill TO
teorg ,nize and consolidate the bureaus of the Navy
Department. The bill provides for five bureaus :
Navigation, Ordnance, Medicine and Surgery,
Material, Construct and Repair and Supplies and
Accounts. The Chief of tho Bureau OF Materials,
Construction and Repair may lie appointed either from
civil life or from the active list OF officers the Navy
" who shall be skilled in naval architecture" and the
CHER OF the Bureau OF Supplies and Accounts must be
appointed the active list of officers OF the Navy.
There is TO be Board Of Council" consisting OF the
Chiefs Of the several bureaus except Medicine and
Surgery and three officers of the Navy There SHALL
al Yays pe Naval Constructor and a Chief Engineer
of the Navy, members OF this Board. The Secretary
of the Navy shall be, ex-oco president OF the Board
which shall act in an advisory capacity only having
"no administrative executive powers whatsoever.
One purpose of the trainers OF the oil is to rest the
sponsbility for the building and equipment of ship
and of subsequent repairs, except to her armament,
in single officer who is be the head OF the Bureau
of Material Construction aud Repair The present
Bureaus of Equipment and Recruiting. Yards and
Docks Provisions and Clothing, Steam Engineering:
aud Construc ion ana Repair are TO he Discontinued
and their work distributed bctN cen the new bureaus
of Materisl Constr lctlon and Repair and Supplies
and Accounts.
In advocating the bill to-day Messrs. Say ers and
NcAdoo argued that the proposed consolidation will
improve the efficiency OF the Navy Department and at
the same time save large sums of money Ii was
fairy and purely business proposition, they urged
and as such rhould commend itself 10 every practical
man. They denied strenuousiy that any political
design mo i've had inspired the measure.
Mr. Buutee, OF NJ line. who with ex secretary Go1,
submitted views of the minority of the committee.
made vigorous and forcble speech in opposition to
the bill. lie maintained that the present or Ganizauon
which was established nearly hall n century ago ana
which lad been expanded ami perfected to meet cue
cessfuy the tremen1 eXi-ences OF the var OF tbe
Rebellion, il adequate TO any EN- ergency when may
arise and that il ought TO be overturned 10 make
room for scheme, the success OF which would DO
douotiul at best Mr. Boutele uoss not believe that
the destitute of political motive or IN
SEPARATION as it's friends MAINTAIN and ne set iotth DIS
The old night between the staff and the line
OF the Navy is renewed over this bliI The stan
officers especially those who belong TO The Bureau oil
Steam acknowledgement that the purpose is to
degrade them 6y making technical Sail su0ordhtte
TO uon-tochnical authority The friends Oh the OH
DENY any such purpose although they frankly cohtend
that the Engineer Corps OF the Navy should be content
10 run the machinery after has been designed and
built srad officer OF the Navy who is opposeo to the
measure said
rhe bill which the Secretary says we must not
crdcise framed from the ideas OF Car AIMS har-
mony, Walker and Schley. II II becomes a law IL VIII
make practically what the line officers have wanted
for a long time board of Navy commissioners which,
although theore ically subject to the Secretary " the
Navy, would really govern the Navy to suit them
selves The most important bureau thit oil Ooo-
struction, ETC. comprises two dIvIsions construction
and steam engineer ng. The heads OF these divisions
are not provided for. but would make moro positions
for line officers. he long and snoit OF the whoie
matter is that the once dcspsed business oil mecndn-
cal ell cheering has become so impoI ant III the Navy
that the line has become jealous. They want to ha'e
control OF the workings of the engineers ana TO
subordinate the latter to The position OF mere engine
drivers while they exercise the authority and get
thu credit Tor the work done by the engineers Inc
Naval Com nittee in its report says 49,
Zach O n n Bureaus
Each claims absolute power over the matters within
its jurisdiction subject only to the Secretary oil the
Navv.
"Of coarse they DO and WHY shouldn't they The
chef of each bureau ought not TO be dictated 10 OV
any o.her person except the one TO whom he is re-
spOusibie, other departments O: the GoyeIn-
ient. The thorn in the side OF the promoters OF the
bill is that chief Of stan bureau IN give an orSer
ship Just he were endowed with the divine Tlshi
OF command the SANE they Next tbs report says;
The iesut is that they seem to stand related to each
other aud to the Secretary in manner which IA
analogous TO the relations the several departments OF
the Government bear to each other and 10 the rresi-
dent
In other words, it is only further division OF our
system OF government similar to the oil
the other der artmeDts aud ab0ht when No iaot Is
found In tact the present hill does not change the
present system except to substitute for the present
technical heads Of bureaus Technical ngure-hea as
who must come between the Secretary and
those who actually carry on the work. The or1er |
OF Secretary Thompson concerning the On e'J OF
bureaus to meet hun IN council once a week Is
quoted. but for what reason one can hardy IMAGINE
AS il Ia what every Secretary ought TO do to he |
come informed as to the working OF HE department
onotei As favoring a consolidation OF the |
Bureaus. when careful Perusal Of the report
will show that the Board did not favor consolida-
tion Bureaus but quite the opposite They favored
consolidation each kind of work under the appropriate
Runau The testimony of Commissioner Walker. which
"a quoted seems misleading He gives table OF the
reduction which could In the New York Navy Yard
force "a the effect OF consolidation OF Bureaus.
The table will not bear analysis The
three cauIkers, all in construction, he says. can
be reduced 10 two while the solitary master boat
builder away with altogether Almost every Item
~ the table IL equally udcrous.